Runnin’ and Gunnin’ with the Twins: Rifle stock fitting 101

Unless you are an average-sized man, you have probably shot a rifle or even own one that doesn’t fit you. If you want to get the most out of your firearm and be as accurate as possible, you need to make some simple adjustments to your stock so it fits like a glove. We are going to walk you through these basic steps to insure a proper stock fitting. If you don’t have an adjustable stock on your rifle and you aren’t willing to take a saw to the stock, we recommend getting an Advanced Technology International Adjustable stock. You can make all these adjustments necessary with an ATI stock that allows you to fit a rifle properly and become a more accurate shooter. www.atigunstocks.com

Before you start any adjustments, make sure the gun is empty and you are always pointing it in a safe direction.

Tracy Barnes practices from the prone position.

Trigger measurement

The first thing to check is your reach to the trigger. The best method is to bend your arm at 90 degrees and place the butt of the gun in the crook of your elbow so that your arm wraps around and up to the trigger well. If your finger sits comfortably on the trigger at a 90-degree angle, than it fits perfect. If your finger is stretched and doesn’t reach the trigger, than you have to decrease the length of the butt plate/shoulder pad. If your finger wraps around the trigger than you need to add more length to the butt plate/shoulder pad. Adjust the butt plate either forward or backwards until your finger is resting comfortably on the trigger.

Lanny Barnes and an ATI-fitted stock.

Cheek Piece Height

Another really important adjustment is the height and angle of the cheek piece. The first thing you should do after you adjust your butt plate is to get into the prone position and with your eyes closed rest your head on the cheek piece. Then open your eyes and look down the sights/optics. Does your eye look directly down the sight? If you are looking at the bottom of the sight/optic, than you need to move your cheek piece up until your eye is looking directly through the center of the sight. If you are looking at the top of the sight, than move your cheek piece down. Keep checking this by lifting your head and with your eyes closed, rest your head back down on the cheek piece and open your eyes until you are looking directly down the optic with a relaxed head and neck. Once you’ve made the final adjustment, your head and neck should be in a relaxed position on the stock and you should be able to look comfortably down the sight without moving your head to do so, after you’ve made the adjustment.

Eye relief on scope/sight

Once you have positioned the height of the cheek piece, you need to adjust the eye relief of your sight/optic. [For more information on how to work with your scope, please see this primer from Babbs in the Woods.] This can be done in the same way you used to adjust the cheek piece. Place your head on the cheek piece with your eyes closed. Then once in a comfortable position open your eyes. Move the sight forward and backward until you have some. Then secure the sight. Also make sure that the sight or scope isn’t too close to your face as you may get hit by it during recoil.

Editor’s note: And they’re off … to Estonia, where they are racing for the U.S. Biathlon team in Europe. Good luck, Twins, and thanks for the tips!

Disclaimer: The WON
• This publication receives payment for advertising.
• This publication reviews products and provides editorial copy (like all other major publications) because of advertising sold. It does not guarantee a positive review of such products.
• If our freelance writers do not pay a full retail price for a product being reviewed, from Feb. 11, 2015, forward, they will explicitly state that in the review.
• Unless explicitly stated, any writers at The WON have no affiliation or relationship with the supplier of a product being reviewed.
• We generally follow the “if you can’t say something nice, say nothing” rule. If we review a product and don’t like it, we will either offer constructive criticism as to how to improve said product in print, or we will refuse to review it.

Our privacy policy: At Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, we only collect your email address for newsletter subscription purposes or for giveaway opportunities. You may opt out at any time if you decide you don’t want to receive the newsletter any longer. We never sell or give your private information to any other party. Not to our advertisers, friends or family. No one gets it. Ever.

Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, contains intellectual property owned by Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, including trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, proprietary information and other intellectual property. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, create derivative works from, distribute, display, reproduce or perform, or in any way exploit in any format whatsoever any of the Women’s Outdoor News, The WON content, in whole or in part without our prior written consent. We reserve the right to immediately remove your account and access to Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, including any products or services offered through the site, without refund, if you are caught violating this intellectual property policy.

Connect With The WON

Sign Up for Weekly Updates by Email

Name

Email *

Search The WON

The WON Podcast

Our privacy policy: At Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, we only collect your email address for newsletter subscription purposes or for giveaway opportunities. You may opt out at any time if you decide you don’t want to receive the newsletter any longer. We never sell or give your private information to any other party. Not to our advertisers, friends or family. No one gets it. Ever.
Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, contains intellectual property owned by Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, including trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, proprietary information and other intellectual property. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, create derivative works from, distribute, display, reproduce or perform, or in any way exploit in any format whatsoever any of the Women’s Outdoor News, The WON content, in whole or in part without our prior written consent. We reserve the right to immediately remove your account and access to Women’s Outdoor News, The WON, including any products or services offered through the site, without refund, if you are caught violating this intellectual property policy.